“No, no, we’re not (a dynasty). We had a little break—the two years prior to last year we didn’t make the playoffs. We’ve got work to do. We have good players on this team, we have the potential to be a playoff team and to make a run once we get into the playoffs.

“It’s a matter of going out there and proving that, and everybody going out there and playing to their level of play. That’s what our challenge is, and we know each year if you don’t come out and give it your all and play to the best of your ability, you’re not going to win football games. So we’ve got to maximize our talents.”

Manning’s critique is spot on. And while the Giants’ regular-season record of 49-31 over the past five years is impressive, it doesn’t say this is a team for the ages.

Of course, the magic number for dynasty talk is three. If the Giants win another title in the next few years, they’ll enter the dynasty discussion, joining two other three-title teams of the recent past (Cowboys of the ’90s and Patriots of the past decade).

The Giants’ credentials wouldn’t be as good as those two teams, but three opens the dynasty door.